Knife and Fork: Soups bring comfort for first cold of season

By Megan Lea Buck | mbuck@mrt.com

Published 2:40 pm, Monday, October 13, 2014

Monday morning was cold — yes, I’m a native Texan so anything below 70 degrees is considered chilly. Honestly, I usually grab a sweater if the forecasted high is below 80. The cold snap was accompanied at my house by the first cold virus of the season. By Sunday evening every member of my family was sneezing and sniffling and our Kleenex supplies were running low.

So my plan for tonight, after a quick trip to the grocery store, is to get one of these soups started simmering, make a cup of hot tea and pray that we all start feeling better by the time the temps climb back to the 80s later this week.

Mom’s chicken noodle soup

What can be better than chicken noodle soup when you’re sick? The egg noodles in this recipe lend it a bit more sustenance than other chicken soups with thinner noodles.

4 chicken breasts

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 can chicken broth

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 8-ounce package wide egg noodles

salt and pepper to taste

Boil chicken breasts until done and save liquid. Sauté onion in butter. Cut up chicken breasts and return to pot with liquid. Add onion, chicken broth, cream of chicken soup, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Add noodles and cook until tender. *Adjust broth level by adding more water if needed.

Vegetable soup with beef or beef stew

I’ve always called this vegetable soup with beef because, while it does include stew meat, the majority of the ingredients are vegetables. My husband calls it beef stew. Whatever you call it, it’s a hearty fall or winter recipe that’s easy to make in a slow cooker.

1 pound beef stew meat

3-4 medium or large golden potatoes, chopped

1/2 small bag frozen mixed vegetables

1 can diced or stewed tomatoes, undrained

1 carton beef broth

1 teaspoon basil

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Season meat with basil and garlic powder and brown in a skillet with olive oil. Transfer to slow cooker and add can of tomatoes and half carton of beef broth. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. After 4-5 hours, add potatoes and remaining broth. An hour before serving add frozen vegetables.